5 awards you could start giving out today

One of the easiest ways to foster the culture you want is to create moments that reinforce desired values and evoke positive emotion by giving out an award. The frequency is up to you – weekly, monthly, quarterly, when reports cards come home, when school starts, when the season ends, after a game, etc.

Here are 5 examples of awards you could give today to begin setting the tone for the culture you want:

Golden Horseshoe (or whatever else works for you…Golden Diaper, Bike, Shoe, Banana, etc.): To the person who most embodies the values of your team. We started giving out this award bi-monthly at Tiny Horse with this exact criteria.

Extra Extra Award: To the person who exceeds the bare minimum and goes above and beyond on a consistent basis.

The Tick Tock: To the person who has the highest success rate of delivering on deadline. If you struggle as an organization with accountability, try positive reinforcement as an option, rather than correction only.

3 Musketeers: All for one, and one for all…this award goes to the individual with the best attitude and performance when it comes to collaboration.

Tin Can Award: To the most consistent communicator. The first “phones” were two tin cans connected by a string…and they were one of the first forms of telecommunication. If you have an individual in your group who consistently embodies frequent, proactive, and quality communication, this would be a great award.

Awards are an easy option to affirm behavior you want repeated and, at the same time, lay the groundwork for future culture.